Starlight
by honeyandvodka
Summary: An AU summer fic, set between seasons two and three. The Hamptons trip doesn't work out, and Castle comes back to the city in time to score himself an invitation to Beckett's camping trip. Entry for the Winter Ficathon 13/14.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my win****ter ficathon entry, just a quick one to get out here while I keep editing my NaNoWriMo story. This follows the third prompt, and will include the words Tyson, Mexico City and Castle's annotated copy of "Casino Royale". Enjoy!**

* * *

**June 2010**

His voice was a desperate hiss down the phone line and Beckett balanced the cell precariously, tilting her head to cradle the handset between her ear and her shoulder.

"What's your point?" she managed, wrestling with the pans in the cupboard and scowling.

"I-" he paused as everything crashed to the floor and Kate swore under her breath. "What was that? Are you okay? What are you doing?"

She cursed again, softly. "I'm _trying_ to bake cookies," she admitted through clenched teeth.

"Oh. You bake? It doesn't sound like it's going very well," he chuckled.

"I bake," Kate said, indignantly. She sank down onto the cool tiles of the kitchen floor with a sigh. "What did you want, anyway, Castle?"

"I-uh." He was suddenly hesitant. "To be rescued," he managed, and she shook her head.

"What? Rescued from what, exactly?"

"Uh- my mother has friends over. They're... loud. They're drinking. They're… dancing. And singing."

Beckett raised her eyebrows. "I thought you and Gina were up at the Hamptons. Is your mother there too?"

"Oh," he said. "No. No, I came home."

"Are you okay?" she asked, curious.

"Uh-huh," he affirmed. But his tone was unconvincing and she sighed, considering.

"So you're back in the city. Do you wanna come over?" She threw her hand over her mouth. Where had _that_ come from? Since when did she go around issuing invitations to Castle? And since when did he call her? It was usually the other way round, on the way to a crime scene, and he'd made it abundantly clear that he wasn't interested in following her around this summer.

He was silent for a moment. "I don't want to intrude," he said at last.

She snorted. "I'm baking _cookies_, Castle. You wouldn't be intruding."

"Okay," he agreed, and he hung up, leaving her confused. Was he actually coming over?

She had thought he was in the Hamptons. She had thought she wouldn't see him until the fall. A small part of her had questioned whether she would even see him then. He had Gina; what did he need with a muse if he had his ex-wife to keep him occupied, amused and inspired?

* * *

Beckett stood up, picking up the pans that had fallen onto the floor and selecting the baking sheet that she'd wanted in the first place, setting it on the counter. She shrugged. He could come over if he wanted, it wasn't going to stop her from doing what she needed to do before tomorrow. She opened her pantry and rifled through it. Flour. Sugar. Cinnamon. Well. That was a start she supposed, although she would need to get butter before she could actually bake the cookies.

The knock on the door caused Kate to jump in spite of herself . He'd gotten here more quickly than she'd expected and she took an impulsive look in the mirror before opening the door to find an apparently cheery Richard Castle on the other side.

"Hi," he greeted her, handing over a large grocery bag with a beaming smile.

"What's this?" she asked.

He had the good grace to look abashed. "Cookie stuff. I wasn't sure if you had everything you needed." He wiped his brow. "Though I have no idea why you're baking in this weather."

"Thanks," she said, accepting the grocery bag and gesturing for Castle to come in. "I didn't have butter," she admitted. He grinned.

"You're welcome," he told her.

She set the bag on the counter, wincing as she saw Castle looking around her apartment. "It's all I could get on short notice," she said, defending the studio sublet, and he shrugged.

"You should have stayed with me until you found somewhere better," he said, and she shook her head.

"It's fine, Castle. It's just temporary. I'll start looking for something more permanent after the summer." It wasn't that bad. It was just… small. But it was in a decent neighborhood, and a second floor walk-up wasn't the end of the world, even if there was only a room divider separating her bed from the living room.

He nodded, drumming his fingers against the counter and she bit her lip. _Why_ was he here? They'd never exactly had a drop-in-on-each-other kind of relationship and after he'd left the precinct, his arm around Gina, she had doubted they would ever have any kind of relationship again. She stared at him, full of mistrust and doubt, but she blinked at last.

"You want a drink?" she offered, and he nodded.

"Coffee?"

"Sure." Kate switched the coffee maker on, the sound of the machine filling the awkward silence. "So- uh-" She ducked her head. "I thought I wasn't going to see you until the Fall?"

Castle shrugged. "My plans changed," he said, and she thought she saw a cloud pass over his face before it was gone, a smile plastered on his lips. "What are you doing home baking on a Saturday night anyway?" he asked. "I thought you'd be out with Demming."

She didn't miss the tone of disdain in his voice at Tom's name, and she shrugged, averting her eyes. "You called and asked me to rescue you even though you thought I was with Tom?"

He shrugged. "I was desperate," he told her, a smirk on his face, but Beckett thought she heard a hint of loneliness in his voice.

"Tom and I broke up," she told him shortly, turning and pulling mismatched mugs from the cupboard above the sink.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

She shrugged. She doubted it. "So what are you doing for the rest of the summer if you're not up at the Hamptons?" she asked, pouring the coffee and handing Castle a cup.

"I still have to write," he told her.

"Even without Gina on top of you?" Kate asked with a raised eyebrow. Seriously. What was he doing here? Why had she answered the phone? And then the door? If he'd called a day later she would have been gone already, out of cell phone range.

"We broke up, too," he admitted, running a hand through his hair and leaning back at the counter. "If you can call it that. It took exactly two weeks for both of us to remember what we hated about one another." It was Castle's turn to refuse to meet Beckett's eyes and she took a sip of her own coffee with a shrug.

"It's none of my business," she said, turning back to the bag again and pulling out the baking supplies. "Impressive," she told him, holding up the icing pens and he chuckled.

"So what are we baking for?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"_I__'m_ baking so I have cookies to take up to my dad's cabin," she said. "I'm going up tomorrow, and dad will be there for a day, so I'm taking some to him."

"You're taking some vacation days?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Uh-huh. A week. I'm going upstate tomorrow morning." She smiled at the thought; her bike and the open road were calling. The heatwave in the city was taking its toll; the AC in this apartment was sporadic at best, and warm summer nights at the lake would be welcomed.

"What do you usually do up at your cabin?" Castle asked as she switched the oven on to pre-heat it and reached for the mixing bowl under the sink.

Beckett shrugged. "Read. Swim." His eyes lit up at the mention of swimming, and she scowled at him, recalling their conversation about swimsuits not long before he'd taken off for the Memorial Day weekend. With Gina. "I usually take a pack and go camping for a few days."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" Kate handed Castle the butter and a saucepan. "Can you melt this please?"

He nodded, taking it and lighting one of the gas burners on the stove top. "I mean, yeah- you take a pack? And _hike_? Aren't you already camping? If you're at the cabin?"

"Camping at the cabin? Indoor camping isn't a thing, Castle." Kate smirked. "No, I take a tent, a sleeping bag and a stove. I take some food and I hike until I get to a secluded spot."

"And then what?"

Kate smiled, thinking of the trips she'd done in the past. And then… nothing. She loved sitting back, not a thing to do, looking at nothing but an endless expanse of sky and lake and trees; the perfect antidote to a hectic city life interspersed with homicide on a daily basis. "And… nothing. Hiking. Camping. Sleeping." She shrugged.

"Sounds... fun," Castle said but the look in his eyes was skeptical.

"It is," Beckett insisted. She looked at him, amused. "You've never been camping, have you?"

"I've been camping," he protested. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I _have_. And hiking. I've just never hiked particularly far from… well, my car. But when Alexis was little I bought a tent and we camped on the edge of our property at the Hamptons. How is that different to you camping at your dad's cabin?"

"Oh yeah?" she challenged, sifting the flour into a bowl and accepting the cinnamon that Castle handed her. "Did you and Alexis build a fire by yourselves?"

"Well, uh- no," he confessed. "We cooked in the house. And when Alexis got scared in the middle of the night, we went back inside."

"_Alexis_, huh?" she asked, chuckling at the thought of Castle trying to take his daughter camping and he tore his gaze from the stove top to glare at her.

"Are you implying that I'd be scared of camping, Detective?" he asked.

Beckett smirked. "We could find out," she said. "You should come with me tomorrow." Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd just said; the invitation had escaped her lips before she could stop it. She chanced a glance look up from the mixing bowl, sure he would decline with a smart remark.

The look on his face, though, was one of wonder. "Really?" he asked, disbelief apparent in his eyes.

"Really," Beckett said, decisive; the invitation was out now and she wasn't going to shy away. "I wouldn't have said anything if I didn't mean it," she assured him with a white lie. She shrugged. Well. Maybe she hadn't exactly intended to invite Castle, but the idea had... merit.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who gave me great feedback on the first chapter! I have a camping trip of my own coming up over Christmas, but I wanted to get this chapter out there for you before I leave! Thanks K for the beta read through!**

* * *

"What do I need to bring?" he asked, a distinctive whine in his voice, and Beckett rolled her eyes.

"Castle, we've been over this," she reminded him. "You told me you have a sleeping bag. Bring that. And you told me you didn't have any of the other things we need, so… just clothes, for the last time."

"Okay," he sulked, and she shrugged.

"So you'll be here… when?" she asked.

"In half an hour," he grumbled. "I'm nearly ready. I just have to find… a-ha!" he exclaimed.

"I'll leave you to it," she said. "If you're not here in half an hour I'm taking my bike instead of your car and going without you."

"But, Beckett-"

Kate bit her lip, hanging up the phone and turning back to her own packing. Thanks to the explosion in her old apartment a ton of her clothes were long gone, too smoke damaged to be salvageable, but she'd made quick use of the insurance money that had come through already. Her summer wardrobe was already looking much healthier, and she tossed a couple of bathing suits into the bag on her bed, wondering for the millionth time why she had invited Castle.

Innuendos that lightened the day at work were one thing, but she wasn't sure she was ready for him twenty-four-seven without the boys at her side.

Then again, she mused, maybe it would be okay. He'd stuck around last night until the cookies had come out of the oven, and in spite of a marked refusal to discuss Gina, his summer plans, or his writing, they'd had a good evening. Or perhaps they'd had a good evening precisely because he had refused to discuss these things; they'd stuck to the relatively safe topic of murder, and Beckett had filled Castle in on the cases the team had had over the last fortnight. The whole evening had been rather light on the easy-going flirting that she'd come to think of as Castle's modus operandi.

She sighed. They'd been having a great time at work over the last year until Esposito had gone and stuck his nose into it, telling her that Castle was _interested_ in her. She should never have believed him. Castle wasn't interested in her, and she… she'd made a mistake. Mistaken their friendship for something it wasn't. In fact, she told herself, taking this week together would give them a chance to regain their equilibrium, as friends. Partners.

Not that she was sorry for breaking up with Demming; she hadn't thought of the robbery detective at all in the last few weeks until Castle had brought him up last night.

She shrugged, tossing a sweater into the bag with the paperback from her nightstand, before grabbing her flip flops and looking around. This place was really way too small; she would look for something better as soon as she got back to the city next week.

* * *

Kate's buzzer sounded twenty-eight minutes later, and she swung open her front door to find a panting Castle waiting in the hallway.

"What did you do, run up the stairs?" she asked, amused, and he shook his head.

"No," he lied, and she smirked, handing him the box of cookies on the counter and swinging her own bag over her shoulder, ushering him out, and locking the door behind her.

"Let's go."

"That's all you're taking?" he asked.

Kate chuckled. "Why? How much did you pack?"

"I- uh- just what you told me to," he defended, and she rolled her eyes.

"It's my dad's cabin," she said. "I have everything else up there."

"Okay." He shrugged, trailing down the stairs after her, and leaping forward to open the building's front door for her. "After you."

Kate broke into a smile when she saw the car parked at the curb in front of her apartment. "I'm driving," she announced, holding her hand out for the keys expectantly, and Castle stepped back, holding the box of cookies out from his chest as if to stave her off.

"Beckett, it's _my_ car."

"Exactly. You can drive it anytime you like. Besides, I know where we're going. I'm driving."

Castle shook his head, opening the trunk and shifting his own things around to make room for Beckett's bag and the baked goods. "It's not _hard_," he grumbled. "I _can_ drive us out of the city and upstate."

"Don't make me regret inviting you," Beckett said, holding out her hand again and grinning as he handed the keys over reluctantly. She may not have known exactly what had possessed her when she'd issued the invitation yesterday, but so far, she thought, as she slid behind the wheel of the red Ferrari? She had no regrets.

* * *

"Hey, Beckett?" Castle asked, once they'd been on the road for a couple of hours, the silence between them more awkward and stilted than she was used to.

"We just stopped," she told him, following his gaze to where it was fixed on a road-side diner. "So, no."

"No, not that," he said, shaking his head regretfully as they zoomed past. "Your- dad. He's gonna be there?"

She nodded, concentrating as she guided the car around the soft curves of the road. This was amazing. Maybe even better than her bike. After all, with the top down, there was nearly as much freedom. "Yeah. I told you that yesterday. He's leaving tomorrow, though."

"And he won't think it's odd… that I'm there, I mean?"

Kate bit her lip, considering. "No," she started. "I bring friends up to the cabin sometimes." Of course, she'd never brought a boyfriend up. Not that Castle was her boyfriend, she reminded herself. No, this was just like last summer when she and Lanie had come up here together. Although unlike Castle, who seemed to be happy to go along with whatever plans she had, Lanie had flatly refused to camp out, convinced that lying by the lake without someone bringing her cocktails was already roughing it.

"Okay," Castle said, but he sounded unconvinced as he leaned back in his seat, playing with the iPod and scrolling through, choosing _Regina Spektor_ and sticking the player back on the dash.

* * *

"Castle," Kate introduced. "This is my dad, Jim Beckett. Dad, this is Rick Castle, my…" she hesitated. Her what, exactly? Her partner? Too ambiguous; she'd certainly never brought Esposito or Ryan up here. And _friend_ sounded like she was in denial. Or eighty, in a platonic relationship in a nursing home.

"Writer. I'm her writer," Castle offered, holding out his hand to shake Jim's in greeting.

"My… writer," Beckett agreed, raising her eyebrows as no better title came to mind.

A smile curled around her father's lips. "Nice to meet you, Rick Castle, Katie's writer," he said, and Beckett cringed. _Katie_. Well. If Castle tried to call her that she could always shoot him. "So," he said, looking around and gesturing to the cabin. "This is it. Come on in, make yourselves at home."

Kate nodded, opening the trunk. Her eyes widened as she saw for the first time just how much Castle had crammed in there. "What did you _bring_?" she asked, incredulous, and he had the grace to look abashed.

"Um. I didn't know how much _survival_ type stuff we would need. You know. For camping."

Kate plucked at the camo outfit spilling out of a shopping bag, price tags still on. "I told you we have everything here. We're going on an overnight hike. It's, like, six miles around the lake. We're not going to be _hunting_."

"Well, there could still be bears. And deer," he told her, and she shook her head.

"Yeah. Could be," she teased. "But we're still not hunting them." She avoided her father's eyes, the amusement in his expression all too apparent.

"Well I just wanted to be prepared," he grumbled, and Beckett shook her head, pulling her bag free from the trunk and leading the way into the cabin, Castle hot on her heels with his own rucksack on his back and a duffel bag over his shoulder.

Kate smiled as she walked through the front door of the cabin; her dad had opened the sliding door out the back and she could see all the way down to the lake. The picnic table was set up, ready for a late lunch, and the coffee pot was hissing in the corner of the kitchen at the end of the long open living room. She stopped short, though, when she came to the door in the middle of the room, causing Castle to walk right into her.

"I made the bed up for you," her dad called from where he was standing, still near the front door, and she frowned.

"Did you make the bed in the other room, too?" she asked, and her dad shook his head, looking from her to Castle.

"Uh- not yet," he covered and she narrowed her eyes. Damn. She obviously should have been _much_ clearer with her dad on the phone this morning.

Kate took a couple of steps back, opening the first door off the living room, closest to the entrance. "This is your room," she told Castle, mortified, suddenly. What on earth had possessed her to think that inviting Castle to the cabin was a good idea while her _father_ was still here?

"Um. Okay." Castle obviously hadn't given this any thought either, and he looked at her hesitantly as he stepped over the threshold and dumped his bags onto the chair beside the unmade twin bed. "I don't know if I'll fit in that bed," he said, a hint of the leer she knew so well suddenly present in his voice and she grinned at the sudden levity, knowing exactly where he was going with this as he opened his mouth to finish his thought. "I don't mind sharing with you, Detective."

"I sleep with a gun, even here," she told him, and stalked out of the smaller room in mock indignation, dumping her own bag in her room and beckoning to Castle. "Bathroom's in there," she told him, pointing out the door opposite the modest kitchen. "And that's my dad's room. And mine." She pointed at the room she'd just exited, moving so that she blocked Castle's curious glance into her room; the questions about the paint color choices a thirteen-year-old Katie Beckett had made could wait until after lunch.

* * *

"So what are your plans?" Jim asked, bringing a fresh pot of coffee out to the patio and pouring it into each of their cups.

"Hiking, tomorrow," Beckett said. "I'm going to show Castle round the lake. Help him get in touch with the great outdoors."

Jim nodded, glancing at Castle. "Katie said you have a place in the Hamptons? Pretty different to this, I guess."

"Uh- yeah- well." Castle hesitated, and Kate found herself wondering just what the place at the Hamptons looked like. No doubt it was a hell of a lot fancier than the simple structure her dad and her grandpa had built thirty years ago.

She felt a sudden and unwelcome flash of hurt as she remembered, again, just how it had felt to see Castle walking off his with ex-wife. Water under the bridge, she reminded herself. She'd been foolish, letting herself think there was something there. No, this status quo of friendship and flirtation was better.

"It's on the beach," Castle offered. "So it's kind of wild. Compared to the lake that is. But-" and he cast an anxious look at Kate. "-it's right by town, so you know, there aren't any bears or anything."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "I was kidding about the bears up here," she told him, but he shook his head.

"I did some reading," he told her. "It's not just bears. There's anecdotal evidence of Big Foot up here too."

"Is he always like this," Jim asked, and Beckett shrugged.

"Pretty much. He was cursed by a Mayan mummy a few of months ago." She nudged Castle and he grinned back at her.

"Well, luckily that was reversible," he said proudly.

Kate snickered into her coffee and reached for the container she'd brought outside with them.

"Oh! I think that's one I decorated," Castle exclaimed, and she held it out for him to see. "Definitely mine." He nodded. "Kate was so boring with the icing on hers," he complained to Jim.

"Uh-huh." She rolled her eyes at the elaborate icing on the cookie before biting into it.

Her father chuckled, taking one for himself before standing up. "I've got some fish to catch," he told them. "With any luck I'll get something big enough for us to cook up tonight." He waved at them over his shoulder, and they watched as he made his way down the path to the pier.

"This place is… beautiful," Castle said, looking around, and Beckett bit back a smile.

"Yeah," she agreed, unable to meet his eyes when she felt his gaze settle on her. Instead, she stared out over the water. "It's amazing."

"Hey… Beckett?"

"Yeah?" She turned to him, squinting into the sun that was growing stronger overhead.

"I wanted to say thanks, for, um… well. Inviting me here. Letting me come around last night. It, uh- means a lot."

Beckett shrugged, beginning to suspect that whatever had happened between Castle and his ex-wife in the last fortnight hadn't been exactly amicable. "What are friends for?" she asked at last, and he nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Friends," he agreed, looking back out across the lake. "What are friends for?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: MANY thanks for the feedback this fic is getting! I survived my own hike last week and happily got this together and with the help of a beta read through thanks to Kylie, I present Chapter Three.**

* * *

"Have fun, Katie," her dad had said before he'd gotten into his car. He'd thrown in a wink for good measure. "He likes you, you know."

The echo of Will's words from a year ago had left a bitter taste in her mouth and she'd swallowed. "I don't think so, Dad," she'd said, leaning in to embrace her father, and he'd shaken his head and waved goodbye, a sparkle in his eyes.

Now, she was left alone, standing hesitantly in the living room and trying to work out what they needed to take on their hike. She had all the food they needed on the counter, and her water bottle was filled. Her sleeping bag was rolled up and stuffed into her pack and she had enough clothes for a couple of days.

"I'm packed," Castle announced, exiting the spare bedroom he'd slept in last night, his rucksack on his back.

"Uh-huh." Kate's eyes widened as she took in Castle's pack. To say it was bulging was an understatement. Overflowing was a better description. "What do you have in there?"

"Nothing," Castle told her. "Just what you told me to bring. Some clothes. A water bottle. A sleeping bag."

Kate bit her lip, assessing. "I still need you to take the camp stove," she told him. "And the other tent, once I find it."

Castle shrugged, sliding the bag from his shoulders and stepping back. Kate allowed herself a small smile as she opened the pack. She pulled out the top layer of clothing; two heavy sweaters and his camo pants, revealing three paperbacks and an iPad.

"I figured paperbacks were better than hardbacks," he offered, and she quirked her lips at him, flicking through the books.

"So you do read _Patterson_," she said, and Castle looked at her sheepishly. She chuckled. "What's this one?"

"_Casino Royale_," he told her, his eyes lighting up. "It's the book that made me want to become a writer. Look." He opened it, showing her the annotations he'd made and she smiled, but took it from him.

"We'll leave that one here, then. Since it's obviously got sentimental value to you. I don't want you to drop it in the lake or something. And your iPad. You don't need it- we don't even have good cell coverage here, let alone further up the lake. You can keep your iPod, though. And choose between your _Patterson_ and _Stasiland_," she told him, setting the banished items on top of the sweaters.

Kate continued rifling through the bag, rejecting half of what Castle had deemed important enough to take. She blushed once she reached his boxers, pushing the bag back toward him. "You don't want to assess my underwear?" he asked. "I'll check yours, for you."

She rolled her eyes, trying to ignore him. "It's going to be nearly 90 degrees today, so I don't think you'll need more than one sweater. Or your pants."

"You-"

_Damn_. She flashed him an angry look, holding up her hand to stop him from going any further with his response. "I know what I said. I _mean_, you need shorts, you don't need these heavy pants. And maybe a lighter pair, for the evening."

Castle relegated his extra clothes to the discard pile regretfully while Beckett watched, amused.

"I thought you said you and Alexis had done some hiking and camping."

"Well, yes. Some," he admitted. "But not at the same time- if I needed another sweater, I could just get it from my car. So I don't know what to take on an overnight hike!"

"Okay. Well you need your sleeping bag. And you can take this sleeping mat, but strap it to the outside of the rucksack when we're done, okay? I need you to take this tent- I'll look for the other one in a minute."

"We're missing a tent?" he asked, and Kate nodded.

"I'm worried my dad has it," she confessed.

"Well, Detective, I'm happy to snuggle if you are."

"It won't come to that," she said and she ducked her head to avoid meeting Castle's eyes. Sharing a tent was not on her agenda.

"If this is all part of your plan-" he started, and she shot him a look, stopping him in his tracks. "Okay, okay," he grumbled, reaching back to the pile of clothing strewn out on the sofa and selecting a t-shirt and a light sweater.

* * *

"Oh." Kate turned from Castle so he wouldn't see her face as she spoke to her father on the phone. "Right." She shrugged. Nothing she could do about it now. "Okay, well, thanks. Drive safely," she told him, before hanging up.

"No tent," Castle surmised when she turned back to him, and she shook her head.

"No tent. My dad said it was torn so he took it back to the city to repair it."

"Okay, well it doesn't matter. We can just share this one." Beckett looked up sharply, expecting another wise-crack, but Castle looked at her seriously. "I won't try anything, Beckett, I promise."

"Okay," she said at last, biting her lip and nodding at him. "Well, we just need to pack the food, and we can go."

* * *

The silence as they walked was more comfortable than Beckett had expected, and she was intrigued by the fact Castle had been quiet for a good twenty minutes now.

"You okay?" she asked at last, when her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

"I'm good," he assured her, a smile on his lips. "I'm kind of glad you made me get rid of all the extra stuff in this pack, though."

Kate smirked. "Yeah. It usually only takes one hike to lose the need to over pack. Besides, that's the beauty of being out here. Getting away from it all. I always used to bring more books than I could read." She wrinkled her nose, hoping he wouldn't ask her whether she'd brought his books up here; apart from last year when she'd been so _mad_ at him for messing with her mom's case she'd always had one of his paperbacks in her pack.

"How often do you come out here?"

"Each summer. And my dad usually comes up here for Christmas, so I usually come up after and spend a few days here during the winter. You should see it in the snow. It's beautiful."

"I'd like that," Castle agreed, and she averted her eyes. Had she just extended _another_ invitation without meaning to? Six months from now? What was _wrong_ with her?

"Well, we'll see," she offered, watching the ground as she gingerly made her way through a section of tangled tree roots. "Are your shoes okay?" she asked.

"They're okay. Good grip." Castle stumbled over a branch and twisted his ankle, but he caught himself before he could hit the ground. "Not enough ankle support, though." He winced as he spoke, and Kate held out a hand, ready to steady him if he needed it. "I'm fine." He shook her hand off, straightening and grimacing. "Really. Just need to watch where I'm going."

"This is the only section like this," Kate promised him. "Once we're out of the trees we'll be walking along the shoreline the rest of the way."

"Just how remote is this place we're going to?" Castle asked, and Kate grinned.

"Relax, Castle," she grinned. "I wouldn't take you anywhere more dangerous than most of the take-downs you already tag along to."

"I'm starting to rethink this," he grumbled, as he tripped again, letting Kate steady him this time. She jerked back, releasing her grip as she realized she'd held on a moment longer than necessary, and he spoke again, interrupting her internal fluster. "I should have gone to Tahiti. Or Thailand. Or Mexico."

"Oh yeah?" Kate chuckled. "And what would you do in Mexico City?"

"Mexico, Beckett," Castle corrected her. "Not Mexico City. I'd lay on the beach in Cancun. You could come. It would be just like this, but with showers."

"Nice try," Kate grinned. "But we have the lake- you can lie next to it, and you can swim in it too."

Castle nodded, a worried expression on his face. "And, uh- are there bathrooms?"

Beckett laughed. "Yeah- just no hot water. You'll be okay, Castle, I promise!"

* * *

"This is so cool." Kate watched as Castle looked around, wonder on his face as he surveyed their campsite, nestled in a clearing within easy reach of the water. "When you said there was a bathroom here I started to think you were taking me to an actual campground. But this is so cool!"

"Yeah." Kate grinned, nodding. She pointed up the shore another three hundred yards. "There's another house up there that belongs to some friends of my dad's. They have an outhouse at the bottom of their property that we can use. Apart from them, we're completely alone." She stared out at the lake. Maybe inviting Castle had been a whim, something she shouldn't have indulged in, but she had to give him credit; he'd hiked the three hours with very few complaints, even managing to surprise her by pulling gummy bears from his pack when they'd stopped for a snack.

"Unless there really is a Big Foot up here," Castle interrupted Kate's train of thought, gazing in awe at the woods behind them, and Kate grinned.

"Unless there's a Big Foot. Right." She nodded. "Now, do you want to collect firewood, or put the tent up?"

His expression changed almost imperceptibly to one with a hint of anxiety as he surveyed the forest again, and Kate shook her head.

"Fine." She bent down and pulled the tent from her pack, shoving it at him and jumping back when their hands touched. "I'll be back soon. You can put this up."

* * *

Beckett inhaled deeply as she walked away from Castle, glad to have an excuse to put some distance between them. The spark between them was playing on her mind, but just because he'd charmed her father and been the perfect guest didn't mean this was a good idea. She grimaced, thinking of just how uncomfortable it was going to be between them tonight, sharing a tent.

Good thing she'd sneaked some wine into her pack, she guessed; a glass - or plastic tumbler, as the case may be - of wine by the campfire would probably take the edge off. She ran a hand through her hair before bending over and reaching for some of the good sized sticks on the forest floor. She should probably have thought about the alcohol situation more seriously; one bottle might not be enough if Castle started to give her a hard time.

Then again, she figured, selecting some smaller twigs for kindling, the innuendos had stopped the moment he'd found out the second tent wasn't going to make an appearance. Instead, he'd dropped the topic altogether in an apparent attempt to make her more comfortable.

He was doing better with nature than she'd given him credit for, too. He'd spent the afternoon with a smile on his face, his frame relaxed, as they had ambled along the path to her secret campground. He'd barely flinched when she'd teased him about the dangerous bugs lurking in the woods. He'd also been noticeably quiet on the topic of Gina, and whatever had transpired to cut his trip to the Hamptons short.

She turned to head back to the edge of the lake, her arms full, grinning as she broke through the tree line and their campsite came into view. Castle had done an admirable job with the tent, and she blinked, looking more closely to try and see what he was now doing next to the lake. He picked up a handful of stones, and she watched, amazed, as he walked back and lined them up by the front of the tent, forming their own little fence.

"Cute," she told him, wandering down as he carried a second lot of rocks.

"Hey," he said, looking up and breaking out in a grin. "When Alexis and I went camping she always wanted to make a garden. I thought you might like it, too."

"Very nice," she said, smiling at him in spite of herself and dumping the wood a safe distance from the tent so it wouldn't burn when they built a fire later that night.

She looked up at the cloudless sky. "Looks like it's going to be clear tonight. It'll probably be cold once the sun sets. We'll be glad we have the fire."

Castle nodded. "Will we be able to see the stars from here, then?" he asked.

Kate chuckled. "Pretty different to the city, huh? We'll be dining by starlight."

"Sounds amazing," he said, beaming at her, and she grinned, glad again that she had invited him. He nodded at the wood she'd put down on the ground. "And a fire should keep the bears away."

"Yeah. Or the mosquitoes."

"Better safe than sorry, either way," he agreed, and she nodded, acquiescing gracefully. Fine. If Castle believed there were bears and Big Foots in the woods she wasn't going to shatter his illusions.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Response to this is making me happy. Thank you! And thanks to K for giving this a beta read!**

* * *

"Hey, Beckett, check out our sleeping bags- they're the same kind."

"Huh. Yeah, they are." Kate was intent on assembling the camp stove instead of concentrating on Castle but she nodded and glanced around to see him unrolling their sleeping mats and bags inside the tent. The tiny, tiny tent. He was crouched outside, leaning in and she snapped her gaze back to the gas canister in front of her before he could catch her eyes lingering a moment too long on what was an undeniably good ass. She was just looking, she told herself. That was all. They were here as friends, nothing more.

"Do you think they fit together? We can zip them up and make a giant sleeping bag to stay warm." There it was. The inappropriate comments were back. Status quo. Beckett breathed a sigh of relief, disguising it as a huff of annoyance.

"Castle, we're not gonna find out, okay?"

He chuckled. "Okay, but don't complain to me when you're cold in the night and you want to huddle for warmth."

"I won't be _cuddling_ you, Castle," she shot back. "And if you didn't bring warm enough sleeping clothes, that's your problem."

"Hey!" he protested. "You're the one who left most of my stuff at the cabin."

She shook her head. "Whatever, Castle. Stop being a baby and if you're done making the beds up, can you please go down to the lake and get some water?"

"We're drinking lake water?" His expression was one of disgust and Kate pressed her tongue to her upper lip for a second before answering.

"We're boiling it first," she told him. "For coffee. And when we want to refill our water bottles, I have some purification tablets."

"Coffee?" His eyes lit up and he took the pot she handed him, practically skipping down to the shore. But when he returned, his face had fallen. "I remember the sludge you used to drink at the precinct- you're making _instant_ coffee, aren't you?"

"Actually, no," she informed him, pulling a lighter from her back pocket of her shorts and igniting the gas, then balancing the pan of water on the stove so it could boil. Reaching for her pack again, she rummaged around, producing plastic tumblers and a zip lock bag with ground coffee. She reached in again, finding paper filters and set them up on the cups. "Makeshift filtered coffee," she said.

"What else do you have in your bag of tricks?" he asked in awe, and she grinned.

"Dinner," she announced, showing him the spaghetti and sauce she had chosen before setting them aside and pouring the boiling water into the coffee cups, removing the filters, and handing him one. "Now, enjoy."

Castle sat himself down beside her with considerably more grace than she expected, pulling his pack over and leaning against it, taking a grateful sip of the coffee. "Not exactly a vanilla latte, but it's pretty good," he conceded.

Kate shifted back against her own pack, nodding and sipping her own hot drink; in spite of the heat in the late afternoon the caffeine hit was well overdue.

"How old were you when you first came out here on your own?" Castle asked.

Kate quirked her lips. "Fourteen."

"Fourteen? And your parents were okay with it? Because I don't think I'd let Alexis-"

"Relax, Castle," Kate interrupted. "Remember, I'd been out here with my dad every summer since I was six."

"So what happened when you were fourteen?"

She chuckled. "My parents invited some friends round for dinner- the ones who live in that house over there, actually. Tyson and Marie." She pointed along the shore toward their place. And my dad told me we would have to postpone our camp out.

"Naturally I took issue with that- I was fourteen, I'd protested coming to the cabin in the first place. I wanted to stay in the city with my friends, not be stuck out here, and now my dad was taking away the thing I loved best about being here. So I proceeded to pack my bag. Mind you, my pack was a lot bigger than it would have been, because my dad would normally take the tent and all the heavier stuff. But I marched out here on my own, fuming the entire way. Up until that year I didn't even know how to light the camp stove, my dad had always done it."

"But you learned," Castle said.

"But I learned," Kate agreed. "I found out, years later, that my dad had sneaked down to check on me in the middle of the night.

Castle smiled, glancing out over the lake before looking back at Kate for a beat. "I'm glad."

"Glad? That my dad stumbled down from Tyson's place in the middle of the night in the pitch black?"

"Glad you learned to use the camp stove," he joked, lifting his coffee cup to her. "After all, I don't think I'd want to come on a camping trip with you if you weren't properly caffeinated.

Kate swiped at him, and he chuckled.

"Yeah, glad your dad came to check on you. And-" Castle hesitated. "That after your mom- and when your dad was drinking… that you and your dad could be close again."

Kate nodded. "Yeah," she agreed, gazing out over the water, her eyes fixed firmly on the horizon. "I lived with him, for a while, when I first started at the academy. I thought I could get through to him. But I couldn't, you know? So I moved out, and we didn't speak for six months."

"What happened?"

"I was hurt on the job-" Castle spun his head to look at her sharply and she shook her head. "I was fine." She held up her hand in a mock demonstration of surrender. "_Obviously_. But we'd been pursuing a suspect and when I grabbed him he shoved me and I went down." She swept a hand over her face, resentful of the incident even now. "I hit my head and they admitted me into hospital overnight for observation. And I'd forgotten, of course, that I'd put my dad down as my emergency contact, so Montgomery called him."

"Wow." Castle's expression was guarded, and she wondered just what he was picturing- a young and vulnerable Kate Beckett, or a compromised _Nikki Heat_.

"Yeah." Kate shrugged. "I was furious, but in hindsight, it was the best possible outcome. As far as I know, that was the last day my dad touched a drop."

She sighed, unwilling to tell him any more. Their conversation over coffee had gotten a lot more intense than she'd intended. She put down her empty cup, standing, and shuffling through her pack again, throwing him a disarming wink as she triumphantly held out the tiny scrap of red fabric.

"Think you can handle the sight of me in a bathing suit if we swim before we start dinner?"

* * *

"It's _cold_," Castle complained, standing gingerly at the edge, and she laughed, wading further into the lake, relishing the squelch of the mud beneath her toes and trying to hide her shiver; it _was_ freezing, but wasn't everything about this trip about proving something?

"Come on," she urged him, beckoning to him, and he begrudgingly followed her into the water, his eyes making a lazy path across her lithe form until she made it into a deeper section of the lake and dove under the water.

"It's not so bad once you're in," Castle decided, and Kate smirked, swimming up to him.

"You need to put your head under," she encouraged him and he made a face at her, ducking his head under the water before she could dunk him.

She squealed as he reached for her legs, pulling her under too, and she grinned when she resurfaced. Coming here with Castle had been a good idea after all; so far he was a more easy going camper than she'd expected. In the lake with him she felt like the animosity she'd still been unconsciously holding on to since he'd left the precinct with his arm around Gina was washing off her; the cool waters felt purifying.

Kate dipped under again, holding her breath as she treaded water, letting her body adjust to the temperature and relishing the chill after a hot walk followed by a coffee. She opened her eyes while below the surface to see Castle's solid form a few feet away, his broad chest all the more appealing under water for some reason, and she shook her head, coming up again. No. He was her friend, nothing more. Besides, if either of them were going to be flustered by the sight of the other in a bathing suit, it was going to be him.

She bit her lip, deciding. It was time to let go a little. So much of their day to day was spent chasing down dark theory after dark theory, and it was _hard_; Kate didn't know when she'd last had the chance to unwind like this.

This was a different side to Castle, too. She'd become so accustomed to his crazy ideas countering her more sober conclusions at the precinct, combined with the near constant _heat_ between them, that she'd almost forgotten about this side of him; the sweet man who loved his daughter, his mother and his friends with a protective ferocity. The man who considered _her_ a friend.

She tapped him on the shoulder, pointing to the dock at the bottom of the nearby property. "Race you," she suggested, and took off with Castle in close pursuit. She felt him snatch at her legs a few times, and she turned around to splash at him, amazed at the idea of just having _fun_.

* * *

"Beat you," Castle laughed once he'd made his way to the dock, sitting on it and reaching out a hand to haul her up beside him. She let him assist her, smirking at him as his line of sight caught on her chest.

"Eyes up," she instructed, and he grinned apologetically, focusing his gaze on her mouth for a second before looking out over the water.

"Sorry."

She trailed a lazy hand into the lake, staring at the distorted image of their feet in front of them in the water; hers small with neatly painted red nails, his larger ones beside them. His legs were more tanned than she would have expected this early in the summer and her slight legs looked pale next to his. She nudged into him before remembering that they didn't do that; they didn't touch, and _not _while practically naked. She leaned away again, wanting to break the silence.

"When did you last try camping?" she asked quietly, and he smiled, remembering.

"Um. A few years ago. Maybe... when Alexis was ten? The last few years we've been going up to the Hamptons in the summer- it's wonderful up there but-"

"But?"

"But it's nothing like this. Nowhere near as removed. I don't know the last time I wasn't attached to my cell phone, you know?"

Kate nodded. "It's pretty amazing out here," she agreed, leaning back on the pier and staring up at the sky.

Castle seemed to take that as encouragement, and he lay down next to her, carefully not touching her as he stretched out.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out with Demming," he said and she turned her head so she wasn't looking at him.

"You really wanna do that?" she asked. "Talk about our exes?"

She heard him shift beside her, and when she turned her back to stare straight up at the sky, she saw him in her periphery; he'd rolled so he was facing her. "Maybe not," he admitted. "I just figured you'd rather be out here with him than with me."

Oh. He thought- what? That she was hurting from her breakup with _Tom_? Kate raised her eyebrows. "No," she said. "He wasn't what I was looking for."

"What are you looking for, then?" Castle asked softly. He'd inched just a tiny bit closer, and she could feel the heat radiating from his solid form. If she turned her head just _so _his mouth would be within easy reach of her own, and she shook her head, frustrated.

"I have no idea," she told him, sitting up and almost hissing in annoyance. _Not Castle_, she told herself, almost chanting in her own head. _I don't want Castle_.

He sat up too, nodding at the sun, low in the sky. "We should get back," he said reluctantly. "Before the sun sets and the water is too cold."

Kate nodded in agreement and stood, diving off the dock and swimming back to their campsite without replying, his words thundering in her ears. "_What are you looking for?"_

Her answer played in her head on repeat. _You. You. You. _


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Response to this story has floored me! I thanked some people individually, but not all- my usual M.O. is to send the thank yous from work on my lunch break, but I haven't been in at work. Thanks, K, for the beta read through. For non campers, the reference to the tent's fly is a reference to the outer layer of a tent. My Google-fu indicated this is the same for American as it is for Australian English, so hopefully that's the case ;)**

* * *

"So what's the plan for dinner?" Castle asked once they'd dried off from their swim in the lake, and Kate opened her pack, fumbling around for the pasta and sauce.

'"We cook these- and eat them. Can you get me another pot of water from the lake, please?"

"Sure." He took the saucepan and turned back for the lake, and she took the opportunity to find the bottle of wine and poured two tumblers for them, handing him one when he returned.

"No wonder you needed me to carry the tent," Castle said, nodding appreciatively and taking the cup. "You've got all the good stuff in your pack. Cheers."

"Cheers." Kate let him knock his cup against hers and took a sip, before lighting the stove to boil the water.

"It's not that hard," he commented, and she glanced at him.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Being away from all the creature comforts. I thought I'd- miss my phone. Or my laptop." He laughed, sitting down on the ground beside her and reaching for the book he had been allowed to bring. "I think I miss my iPad though."

"I bet," she smirked, tipping the pasta into the pot.

"Hey," he protested. "I use it to read, too, not just for games."

She shrugged. "Of course you do," she teased. "Now- since camping's not so hard after all, can you help me fix dinner?"

* * *

"This is really good."

Kate nodded. "Almost everything tastes good after a swim," she pointed out.

"Uh-huh." Castle speared another forkful of spaghetti. "Well, this would taste good, regardless," he insisted. "Although, ew-"

"What?" Kate asked between mouthfuls.

"There's a bug on me," he told her, staring at the insect on his leg in dismay and she chuckled, reaching out and flicking it off. "Thank you- I _could_ have done that myself, you know."

"I know," she assured him. "But I didn't want it to bite you while you contemplated your next bold move."

"It could have bitten me?" he asked, apparently alarmed and she nodded mockingly.

"Well, yeah. And actually, we need to light the fire now the sun is setting, because the mosquitoes are going to be out soon, and the smoke will keep them away."

"I can do it," he told her, setting his empty plate aside.

"Really?" she asked, not bothering to hide her disbelief; it was one thing to silently concede that Castle was a more competent camper than she'd expected, another entirely to trust that someone so new to the outdoors would be able to get a decent fire going. "Knock yourself out," she told him, handing him her lighter. She stacked his plate with her own and stood. "I'll wash these while you do it."

She wandered down to the shoreline to wash the bowls out, shivering as she reached the water; with the sun this low in the sky the day was losing all of its warmth. A fire would be good. And, she had to admit to herself, sharing a tent wouldn't hurt, even if they wouldn't be touching; sleeping alone tonight wouldn't have been the warmest experience.

"How are you doing with the fire?" she asked when she came back, depositing the clean dishes back into their bag, and putting it into the plastic container she had for the food; nothing in there was unwrapped, but she wanted to make sure it was as secure as possible. In spite of telling Castle that bears wouldn't be an issue, and in spite of never having seen one around here, she knew they were always a possibility, and it was important that they couldn't smell any food. She set the box a good distance away from the tent as Castle answered.

"Uh-" he was crouched down, poking at the fire. "I've made… smoke. Which is good for the mosquitoes, I guess. But it won't keep us warm."

Kate nodded, stepping forward and kneeling down beside him. "Just-"

He shook his head, holding out his hand and swatting at her to stop her from taking over. "Just give me a minute."

"Okay." Kate hid her smile; she quite liked Wilderness-Castle, she decided. His typical enthusiasm combined with a determination that was oddly attractive. She put on her NYPD sweater and her headlamp while he persevered with the fire; surely he'd either have success or give in _soon_?

He chuckled, turning around. "I got it," he told her delightedly, and she grinned when she saw the flames lick healthily at the small branches.

"Nice." She nodded in admiration, and he stared at her for a second.

"What are you _wearing_?"

"Uh- a sweater. Why? Do you have a problem with what I'm wearing? Do I need to remind you that this is a camping trip, not a fashion show?" Kate narrowed her eyes. Castle usually seemed to like what she wore- and besides, he'd seen her in casual clothes when she'd been forced to stay at his place when her apartment had blown up. What was the problem with the NYPD hoodie?

"No- it looks very… _snugly_," he smirked at her. "I mean-" he gestured to her forehead. "Your… _accessory_."

"I want to be able to see," she said, affronted. "Besides- I have one for you, too." She handed him a second headlamp, and he took it disdainfully.

"Cute."

"Oh, please," she said. "Do I need to remind you that you wanted to wear _camo_ out here?"

"This is going to mess up my hair," he told her, and she chuckled. He glared at her momentarily, before adjusting the straps and fitting the lamp to his own head with a huff.

"Your hair's been sticking up weirdly since we got out of the lake," she reminded him. "Seriously, how much time do you spend on your hair each day?"

He made a face at her, and she smirked.

"Sit down and drink your wine."

* * *

Kate stared at the flames, taking another sip of her wine and chancing a glance at Castle. He'd switched his own headlamp on; apparently trying to make shadow puppets against the tree line trumped his distaste over messing with his hair.

"This one's a rabbit," he told her, and she grinned at the blurry shape moving in the light amongst the shadows of the forest, before shivering. In spite of the fire the evening was still chilly. "Are you cold?" he asked her, sipping his drink and scooting closer to her.

She smiled. It was probably just the wine relaxing her, but she didn't protest as he curled an arm around her. "The stars are coming out," she said softly, and she didn't know whether or not it was her imagination but he seemed to pull her closer. She bit her lip. Maybe she was leaning in to him, just a little, nestling under his arm-

"Beautiful," he whispered, startling her. Switching his headlamp off, he gazed up as the sky made its journey from twilight to black, becoming dotted with more and more stars as it became darker.

His hand made a steady path across her arm, back and forth and she closed her eyes, letting herself sink into the moment as she leaned her head against his strong chest. It was all wrong, she knew that. But she was so sleepy, and cuddling up to Castle felt so good-

"Beckett! Kate! Look-" She opened her eyes and looked to where he was pointing. "A shooting star!" he exclaimed.

"You'd better make a wish," she teased.

"Oh, I have, Detective," he told her, and she shivered again; this time nothing to do with the cold, and everything to do with the tone in his voice.

She turned to look at him, finding his face mere inches from hers. She leaned in, almost involuntarily, just a fraction, and he made to close the gap, his hands moving from her wrists to her shoulders, and then cupping her jaw, so very gently, his fingers making their way into the strands of her hair. He leaned further in and-

_Crap_! Their headlamps had collided before their lips could meet, and Beckett jumped, pushing Castle away almost instinctively.

He stood, tripping over his feet in his haste, kicking another branch toward the fire. "Sorry, sorry," he said, and she shook her head.

"My fault," she offered, and he frowned.

"No, mine," he insisted, and she groaned. Well, this was awkward. How were they meant to sleep beside one another in the tent now, as if nothing had happened? She groaned again- nothing _had_ happened. They'd come so close, and then these stupid headlamps-

Ugh. Castle was right. They were a stupid accessory, and why had they even been wearing them? She could have just had them nearby, in case they needed them to walk over to use the bathroom on the neighbors' property.

"You're thinking really… loudly," he offered uncertainly, and she smiled at him wryly.

"I think I'm gonna-" she indicated toward the outhouse and he nodded.

"Oh. Okay- me too," he said, and she frowned. Couldn't he let her have a moment to herself? "What? I'm not going to let you walk over there _alone_, Beckett. We don't know _what_ could be lurking in the woods."

Kate grinned in spite of herself. At least she could always count on Castle to lighten the mood. She nudged into him before pulling back. After all, it was inappropriate touching that had gotten them into this compromising position.

"Right," she said, teasing. "But be honest, Castle. Just who is scared of coming face to face with a Big Foot, and who is doing the protecting?"

* * *

Beckett clambered into the tent before Castle, hanging her head torch from the hook by the door and changing into her pajamas. She hoped Castle couldn't see her silhouette through the opaque canvas walls; this tent was great because it was light enough to take hiking, but its green fly was anything but a solid barrier between herself and prying eyes.

"Are you done?" he called as she shrugged into her sleep shirt, and she unzipped the front of the tent again, shoving all of her clothes except the hoodie into her pack.

"I am," she told him, slipping into her sleeping bag and rolling the sweater up to use as a pillow.

He knelt down and crawled into the tent, zipping it up behind him and pulling his own sweatshirt over his head, followed by his t-shirt. Kate averted her gaze before he could take off his pants, rolling over and squeezing her eyes shut, reminding herself that this wasn't a big deal; she'd seen it all before when they'd been swimming.

"Beckett?" he asked. She heard the sound of him sliding into his sleeping bag, and she turned over to look at him; only his head was sticking out, resting on his own sweater,

"Yeah?"

"Before-" he started, and she shuddered. Did he really want to do this now? Have this conversation when neither of them could escape?

"Forget it," she told him softly. "It was a mistake."

"A mistake," he echoed, and she nodded, closing her eyes again.

"Good night, Castle," she said to him, rolling back over.

She heard the soft scrape as he moved inside his own sleeping bag, the muffled sounds of him shifting around and getting comfortable, and she froze as she felt his fingertips ghost through her hair. "Good night, Kate," he told her, his hand falling away.

She smiled in spite of herself. Maybe they weren't _anything_… yet. But as awkward as the almost kiss had been, she wasn't sorry she'd invited Castle on this hike. She listened as his breathing changed, slowing as sleep claimed him, and she grinned to herself; he'd better not snore.

* * *

"What's that?"

Castle shook Kate, his warm hand on the bare wrist that was no longer safely encased within the cozy covers of her sleeping bag. "What's what?" she asked, groggy. _Why_ was he waking her? It was clearly still dark out.

"That noise outside the tent?"

"A bear?" she guessed, her eyes still shut tight. Maybe if she didn't take him seriously he would stop talking and she could go back to sleep.

"Beckett!" He shook her again, his hand on her shoulder this time, and she moaned, rolling away from him so she was facing the wall of the tent again. "You said there weren't any bears here."

"Didn't say there weren't any bears. Just implied they were nothing to worry about." She shrugged, half awake now, but unable to hear anything outside the tent except the gentle sound of the lake lapping at the shore. "Our food and trash are in an airtight container far away from the tent. It's upstate New York, Castle, so yeah, there could be bears. But I've never seen one round here. If you go back to sleep now, you won't, either."

He groaned and rolled over and she thought she heard him muttering something like "_or a Big Foot_,"under his breath, but sleep was already pulling her back under, and she burrowed further into her sleeping bag, barely registering as he wrapped an arm around her and drew her close, spooning her. One of his hands made its way into her hair, stroking across her head and she nestled closer, letting his touch lull her back to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Please don't hate me for the not-kissing scene. I have a plan. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for your support, everyone who reviews and reads, and especially K for the beta! Enjoy!**

* * *

As the early dawn light filtered into the tent, Kate stirred, slowly becoming aware of her surroundings. Her tent. Her sleeping bag. And a warm body pressed up against her; his arm wrapped around her, holding her. Her writer.

"Castle?" she asked quietly, remembering the way they'd fallen asleep in this position in the early hours of the morning.

"I was cold," he said, automatically defensive and obviously awake, and Kate frowned, opening her eyes and twisting to look at him as best she could considering his arm was still curled around her.

"You shouldn't have taken your arm out of your sleeping bag then," she mumbled at him, closing her eyes and rolling again so that her back was neatly tucked against him, and taking his hand in her own so he wouldn't be tempted to remove it. This might not be their usual behavior but she supposed, her sleepy brain justifying wildly, they were on vacation. Camping.

Besides, he was warm, and this just felt so safe and comfortable. Once the sun was stronger overhead it would be too hot to stay inside, and with the soft morning light already making its way into their snug shelter Kate thought they wouldn't have a choice soon; they would have to get up. They should enjoy this while they could, she figured. No. Normal rules definitely didn't apply.

Something occurred to her for the first time since she'd extended him the invitation; she was off work for a week but was Castle supposed to be foregoing his responsibilities? After all, he'd gone to the Hamptons to work on the book. "Shouldn't you be writing?" she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes before twisting back to face him.

Castle shot her a surprised look. "Beckett, you wouldn't even let me bring my iPad. I doubt you would have approved my laptop. Besides," he laughed, and indicated the tent with a nod of his head. "I don't think we'd fit it in this thing."

"Not now," she clarified. "But, I mean- this summer. Instead of camping? Don't you owe Gina a chapter? Or a book?"

Castle's eyes clouded over. "Yeah. I do. But I don't think she wants to read it. I think I need a new publisher." He made to move his hand away now that she was facing him, but she gripped it tightly, staring at their interlaced fingers. He froze for a second, before his thumb started to graze soft circles on the back of her hand.

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged, his expression suddenly guarded. "We didn't exactly part on amicable terms this time. The whole reason we got talking in the first place was because I was late with the book. So we talked about the book. We talked about the book a lot." He chuckled bitterly. "And we talked about Nikki, and we talked about you. Or rather, I talked about you. Turned out, there was only so much Gina wanted to hear about my muse. She told me to go back to the city and stop wasting her time if I was with someone else in my head ."

Kate bit her lip. "That's… awful."

Castle shrugged. "It's also… true. She wasn't wrong. I was up at my house with her, wishing the whole time that you'd dumped Demming and that you had come away with me. It wasn't fair to Gina. Of course, calling you when I got back wasn't fair to you, or Tom, but…" he trailed off, and it was Kate's turn to shrug.

"I was gonna come," she told him quietly, watching as his eyes widened before continuing. "Because Espo-" she stopped abruptly.

"Espo?"

Kate sighed. "You and I had a really good time working together this year. And over the last six months I kinda stopped taking your flirting seriously. And when you asked me to the Hamptons I figured that was just another... game to you. Only, Espo pointed out that maybe you were sticking around for more than the books. And that forced me to take a step back and think about what I wanted."

Castle took a deep breath. "Oh- Kate- no-"

"I broke up with Tom," she continued. "I was gonna… tell you. At the precinct that afternoon. But then your… ex-wife appeared out of nowhere. I thought-" Kate squeezed her eyes shut. "I thought I was too late. That I'd left it too long. That you'd given up on me. Or maybe you never really wanted-"

"No, never. Never," Castle insisted, interrupting her, and cupping her face in his hands. "Never. I thought-" he paused, running his thumb along her jaw. "I thought you weren't interested. Figured it was time to accept that I was the only one who was in it. Time to pull back, let you be my inspiration for _Nikki_ but leave it at that."

Kate sighed, letting Castle move his hands from her face to her back so that he could pull her in closer. She could feel his breath, warm on her cheek.

"Kate," he asked, his fingers in the soft waves of hair that fell across her forehead. "Yesterday. We nearly-" he paused, apparently unwilling to say it, and she shrugged reluctantly.

"I know," she agreed quietly. "We almost… kissed."

"But you said it was… a mistake."

Kate squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think. . "I know," she admitted, biting her lip. "I thought- I didn't want you to do something you'd regret. That we'd regret. If you weren't… interested. But-" It was Kate's turn to stop speaking, and she opened her eyes a fraction, chancing a look at Castle.

Castle chuckled, a soft sound that sent Kate's heart racing as his fingertips found their way to the shell of her ear, his gentle touch teasing.

Kate grew bolder, bringing her own hand to rest tentatively on his shoulder. She smiled again, shifting so they were closer, her other hand on his jaw, and she let herself lean in.

"No headlamps this time," he whispered before their lips could meet, and she nodded.

"I know."

He shifted forward another inch, and then he was kissing her. She was kissing him. They were kissing. Gently, so very gently, and she pulled back, just a little, to look at him, and his gaze met hers. His eyes were open, dark with _want_ and she bit her lip before leaning back in, opening her mouth and letting him in, meeting his tongue with her own and letting their kisses become more than chaste. Letting them become more than gentle, more than _kissing_, because now they were _making out_, and a laugh escaped. She and Castle were making out.

This time it was Castle who pulled back, eying her suspiciously, and she smiled at him wryly.

"Sorry?" she offered.

"For the laughing, or for the kissing?" he asked. "Because, yeah, I'll accept an apology for the laughing. That did nothing for my self-esteem. But the kissing-" he leaned in and pressed his mouth against hers again, hot and fast. "Not sorry about the kissing, and you'd better not be either."

Kate gazed at him, unable to refrain from letting a wide smile take possession of her face. "For the laughing," she assured him. "Not-" he kissed her again, and she stilled, letting him trail possessive kisses across her jaw and down onto her neck, sucking gently at her pulse point. "Not sorry for the kissing," she managed, before wrapping her hands around him, and pulling him closer.

* * *

The tent was becoming warm. Oppressively so, and not just due to what had fast become a frantic make-out session at risk of going much further. The sun was obviously above the tree line now and Kate pulled back from Castle reluctantly, intent on unzipping the front of the tent. But he saw an invitation in her movement, and took the opportunity to push her sleeping bag away, bringing his hands down to grip her waist. He dipped his fingers below her sleep shirt and she shuddered at the skin on skin contact. Encouraged, he pushed his own sleeping bag down, his bare torso now pressed against her stomach where her shirt had ridden up, and this time she moaned, involuntarily, at the sensation of having him so close.

Kate groaned as their kissing became more frantic, struggling to free herself from her sleeping bag entirely. She kicked it off at last, letting him nudge his right leg between her thighs, but it was Castle's turn to pull back.

"Is this- okay?" he asked, more hesitantly than she would have expected.

Kate nodded, wrinkling her nose at him. "You'd know if it wasn't," she informed him, and he held his hands up in a mock gesture of surrender.

"So- is this- this isn't just a one time thing for you, is it?"

Kate shook her head and leaned back, taking him in. He was a big man, strong. And hot. She grinned. So, so hot. Giving in, finally - _finally_ - to the attraction she'd felt for him since they'd first met felt good.

He was still talking. "It's not a- 'we're camping, let's get back to nature' thing, is it?"

"Uh- not for me," she assured him.

"Good. Me neither," he told her with a satisfied smile.

"But, we are camping. And we are- getting back to nature. But this tent is way too hot-" Kate held a finger up to his lips, shushing him before he could make a smart remark about just how hot the tent was. "I think we should get up," she said, her resolve fading as he traced patterns on her rib cage, before daring to venture a little higher, his hand cupping her bare breast beneath her shirt, his fingertip running a bold line across her nipple.

She bit her lip, gasping, and closing her eyes, before plucking his hand away. "Later," she promised him, doing her best to sit up in the small space, and wriggling forward, unzipping the tent fly and breathing a sigh of relief as the cooler air flooded the tent.

"I don't know," Castle grumbled. "It's too warm in here, but what if it's too cold out there?"

Kate picked her fleece up from the floor of the tent, easing herself out of the narrow doorway and stood, reaching in to take Castle's hand. "Come on," she urged. "Coffee's out here."

* * *

"Hey, Beckett?" Castle asked, once she'd gotten the camp stove lit, and the water was almost boiling.

"Yeah?" She turned toward him with a shy smile. This morning had been unexpected. Her smile turned into a wide grin. This morning had been _amazing_. Sitting out here though, his hand casually upon her knee, his thumb rubbing back and forth, she thought getting out of bed might have been a mistake.

"Are we going to hike back to the cabin today, or are we staying here another night?"

"What would you rather do?" she asked, reaching for the cups and settling the filters on top, pouring the coffee grounds into them. "We have enough food with us, so if we want to stay here, we can."

"I liked the tent better than the twin bed that you made me sleep in at the cabin," he pointed out, and she made a face at him. Yeah. The twin bed probably wasn't going to be a problem for him anymore.

She shook her head wryly. "Uh-huh."

"I think I'd like to stay here another day." He caught her hand in his own, raising it to his mouth and kissing her palm.

Kate nodded, reclaiming her hand and pouring the now boiling water into the mugs, handing him one. "We can stay here," she agreed, gazing out over the lake. The air was cooler than it had been at daybreak, but it was bright, and clear blue skies promised a perfect summer day.

"Kate?" Castle asked, a twinkle in his eye. "Since we're staying here, do you think we can zip our sleeping bags together tonight?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Once again I didn't get the chance to reply to every review, but Every. Single. One. made me happy. Thank you. Thanks Kylie for the beta read-through and the inspiration for some of the dialogue ;) And thanks Rachel, for answering my Upstate NY questions!**

* * *

"What do you want to do today?" Kate asked when they were seated, cross-legged, on the pier after breakfast.

Castle shot her a knowing look and she smirked at him.

"Not _that_." Her reply was automatic- a Pavlovian response to the knowing looks and flirtation that had been between them since they'd met. But after this morning she couldn't really think of any reason to… _not_. In fact, glancing at him and casting her gaze onto his mouth, she was still in a haze of confusion, wondering why she'd been so resolute on putting a stop to their daybreak… _activities_. Hot tent, she reminded herself.

She sighed; the man could certainly kiss, and there was a part of her that was dying to see what else he could do. An acutely insistent part of her. She was hanging on by a thread, here, trying to hold it all together and restrain herself from throwing herself at Castle before they'd even finished their second cup of coffee.

Not that she thought Castle would mind; he was looking at her with a strangely predatory look that, if she was completely honest with herself, turned her on more than she could have imagined. Besides, she and Castle had been working together for over a year; in her head she didn't see any reason normal dating rules should apply. So there was no reason to wait, but there was a part of her that was glad she hadn't let their desire take control this morning in the tent.

Castle shook his head, apparently coming out of his reverie, his expression softening. "Hey, we can, uh- wait. As long as you want. I didn't come here to… _you know_."

Kate grinned. He really was awfully sweet when he wasn't being annoying. "We don't have to _wait_ for anything," she said. "I mean…" She rolled her eyes. "Castle, I meant what I said, that this wasn't a one time camping thing and- ugh." She shrugged in frustration.

How could she explain to him that all she wanted to do was jump him, but her head and heart were waging a war inside her, and something was holding her back? Mostly she wanted it to happen at the right moment, organically, and if she dragged him back to the tent now she would feel it was somehow staged.

"It's okay," he assured her again, and she smiled, leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder, letting the hand that wasn't holding her coffee cup come to rest on his thigh. A dangerous move, she realized, when she became conscious of her fingers brushing a path along Castle's leg, moving higher, until she snatched them away.

He chuckled, pressing a kiss against her hair, apparently more in control of himself than she was, and she smiled wryly, standing and taking his empty cup from him.

"Let's wash out the cups, get dressed, and maybe hike a little further round the lake. There's something I want to show you, if it's still there."

* * *

"When you said we'd walk a _little _further around the lake I didn't think you meant _this _far," Castle complained, and Kate narrowed her eyes at him.

"I told you we were bringing our swimsuits and lunch with us, and I asked you to find the trail mix and fill our water bottles. Surely you knew we were walking for more than twenty minutes?" She shrugged. "Besides, we're nearly there."

"I guess," he grumbled.

Kate slowed her pace, taking his hand and smiling as he threaded his fingers through hers. "Look around," she encouraged him. "Isn't it beautiful here?"

"It is," he agreed, slowing his stride and forcing her to stop. "Beautiful." She glanced at him to see that his gaze was fixed on her, and she let him pull her closer, until they were standing facing one another, mere inches between them. He took another step closer, dipping his head and bringing his mouth to meet hers, and she smiled, kissing him back, hard, letting her tongue tease his.

"Wow," she managed, pulling away for a second and letting her forehead rest against his. He released her hand, moving to grip her waist, sliding his fingers beneath her shirt, beneath the day pack that was loose around her shoulders. His fingers splayed against the sharp jut of her hipbones, and she smiled as she tilted forward, helpless to stop her body's reaction to his determined touch.

"Wow," he agreed, pressing his mouth to hers lightly before stepping back regretfully and releasing his hold on her, taking her hand again. "Can you please tell me where you're taking me?" he asked.

Kate shook her head, unable to trust herself to speak, lest she tell him the only taking she wanted was for him to take her, right here, right now, against the closest tree, and she put one reluctant foot in front of the other, leading him further along the lake.

"Maybe Rook should take Nikki hiking," Castle mused, and Kate wrinkled her nose, secretly intrigued. The idea didn't sound like it had the makings of a best-seller, but Castle didn't talk about the characters to her very often - or ever - and she was curious.

"Wouldn't it be the other way round? Nikki taking Rook?" she asked, unable to resist pointing out what, to her, was obvious.

Castle shook his head, a dreamy smile on his face. "Nikki could be stranded in a forest and Rook could rescue her."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Somehow I don't think that would sell quite the same way _Heat Wave_ did."

* * *

"We're nearly here," Kate announced as the path cut away from the shore of the lake again, up through the tree line, and Castle peered through the forest, trying to see where she was taking him.

"That's _awesome_," he breathed, as they rounded the corner and the tree house came into view.

Kate nodded. "My parents and I built it over a couple of summers, from the time I was about ten until I was thirteen." She cocked her head, walking toward it and looking more closely at the structure. "The first year it was just a platform, we added in the walls and roof later."

"It's in good shape for something you guys built all the way back then," Castle pointed out.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Kate said. "Maybe my dad came out here and did some repairs?"

"Does anyone else know about it?"

She nodded. "We're actually still on our neighbors' property- so obviously they know about it. Tyson and my dad spent _ages_ trying to find the perfect spot for this."

"So maybe Tyson fixed it up?"

Kate shook her head. "I don't think so. But it's possible." She grinned at Castle. "I haven't been over here in years. I didn't even know if it would still be standing, and I thought if it was it might be falling apart." She indicated the ladder with a tilt of her head. "Want to have a tree house picnic?"

"After you," he told her, standing below her as she climbed, and she wasn't sure whether it was to do the gallant thing and catch her if the ladder gave way, or if he was just looking for an opportunity to check out her ass.

* * *

"This is awesome," Castle said, happiness spilling from him as he beamed at her.

"What, lunch?" Kate teased, packing their food away now that they'd finished. "Because I know how hard it was for you to walk an entire hour here."

"Lunch. Tree house. Beautiful girl. All of it's good," he agreed, shifting his weight and moving so he was no longer reclining against the wall of the structure, but instead sitting closer to Kate. He leaned in, kissing her softly. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to be able to just do that," he admitted.

Kate considered his statement. Going over the opportunities they'd wasted in the last year wasn't going to achieve anything, so she pushed the thought from her mind. "Me too," she said, kissing him back.

Castle edged closer still, his hands finding their way to her shoulders, and Kate shivered, pressing against him, then letting him lay her down on the blanket they'd picnicked on. "Tell me if this isn't okay," he whispered, lying beside her and tangling his hands into her hair, his fingers against her scalp.

His mouth found hers again, kissing her lips before he moved to her pulse point, and she wrapped her arms around his back, pulling him closer.

His hands traveled down, edging underneath her shirt, and running confidently across her waist before making their way up. Kate gasped as Castle's fingers skimmed her ribcage, before moving further up to her breasts, and she pulled him to her, so that his leg nudged between hers. She sighed at the sweet pressure and let her own hands venture underneath his t-shirt. She tugged it over his head and bent forward to press open mouthed kisses across his chest before pulling back to allow him to return the favor and divest her of her own shirt.

Castle moved to unbutton her shorts, and Kate closed her eyes, shivering in anticipation before tilting her hips to allow him to ease them off, leaving her in only her bra and panties.

"Kate," he breathed, looking at her reverently. The dappled light filtered through the leaves of the surrounding trees as the sunshine made its way through the tree house's open windows, and she smiled up at Castle, biting her lip and reaching to pull him closer to her again.

* * *

Kate leaned her head against Castle's sweat slicked chest, smiling. Finally. It had been more than a year in the making, but even on a picnic blanket on the uneven floor of weather wearied structure, it had been worth every second of the wait.

"Well, uh- I've never done that in a tree house before," Castle managed, and she laughed.

"No, me neither," she assured him. "I'm sure this wasn't what my parents had in mind when we built this."

"I'm never going to be able to look your dad in the eye again," Castle said, and Kate smirked.

"What, the man who claimed the second tent was torn and that's why I couldn't find it?"

"No!" Castle leaned back to look at her, his expression one of shock. "He was lying? _Really_?"

"I don't know. I just know that he's been your biggest fan since long before he met you two days ago."

"Really?" Castle asked again. "How would he know anything about me?"

Kate averted her eyes. "I guess I've talked about you sometimes," she admitted, blushing. Yeah. Now that she thought about it, most of her conversations with her dad had included mentions of Castle, and she knew she'd been speaking of him less and less as an annoyance, and more and more as her partner.

"Detective Beckett, confessing she talks about her love life with her dad. Nice. I like it." Castle grinned, earning himself a swipe across the shoulder.

"I do not," Kate grumbled, shifting her weight. Okay. Maybe now the floor was getting a little uncomfortable. "Your name just came up a few times." She shook her head, realizing there was no coming back from her admission; anything she said now would make it worse. Time to change the subject. "We need to clean up," she told him.

"Swimming in the lake?"

She nodded. "Yeah. And then we'll hike back to our camp, okay?"

"Okay." He moved closer and kissed her softly before standing and pulling her up, and Kate's cheeks reddened as he swept an appreciative glance across her body.

"Come on," she said, making for the ladder to climb down. "Race you to the water."

"You don't- uh- need your swimsuit?" he asked, and she bit her lip, shaking her head.

"I don't think I need it, do you?"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for the amazing amazing response to this story. I feel so lucky. And thanks for the beta, K!**

* * *

The water was even colder today, if that was possible. Or maybe Kate was just hotter this time round. She grinned, diving beneath the lake's surface, before coming back up, gasping. Once again, Castle stood on the shoreline, and she smiled, waving him over. She let her eyes wash over his strong form as she watched him waver; as long as he was going to stand there indecisively she may as well enjoy the view. Her gaze fell on his jaw, and she shivered, remembering the feel of his day old stubble on the delicate skin of her chest. Looking wasn't enough anymore.

"Come on," she urged, and he shrugged as he stepped into the water, and made his way over to her.

"Was it this cold last time?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"Warm me up?" she suggested, and his eyes glinted dangerously before he moved closer to her, pressing his body against hers and dipping his mouth to meet her lips.

"Are you sure no-one is going to be able to see us here?" he asked when he pulled back, and Kate raised her eyebrows at him in question.

"Are you shy?" she teased. "The man who stole a police horse in the nude?"

He shrugged, running a hand through his hair bashfully. "You read that report," he pointed out. "You know I was also drunk. Not to mention stupid."

"Yeah, well." Kate smirked. She couldn't exactly disagree; stealing a police horse _was_ stupid. She wondered what had led to Castle taking the horse; the report hadn't been forthcoming with the details. Had he truly been drunk and stupid, or was there more to it?

"It wasn't really the best time in my life," was all he said, apparently reading her thoughts.

She nodded, letting him entwine his fingers with hers, kissing him again and reveling in the feel of his body pressed hard against hers.

"No swimming races this time?" he teased, his mouth moving to her ear, and she chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck before letting her hands slide down his back, beneath the water.

"I think we've got better things to do right now, don't you?"

* * *

Castle held her hand, the day pack on his back this time, as they made their way leisurely along the shoreline to their campsite. The lake edge lapped gently at the rocky shore, and the mid-afternoon sun danced across the water as their tent came into view. Kate breathed deeply, inhaling the clean forest air. She was lucky, she realized for the hundredth time, that her dad had the cabin and that she could come here to escape the city.

"Swim again, before dinner?" Castle asked. "Or-" he turned to her with a knowing smile, and she quirked her eyebrows at him.

"Or?" she prompted, and he laughed.

"Well, we could lay that blanket out again…"

Kate grinned. Was there any other answer? She reached her hands up to his shoulders, letting her fingers still for a moment before sliding the backpack off and delving into it for the blanket. She handed it to him, her raised eyebrows hiding the insecurity she felt; making love in the tree house had been spontaneous, and messing around in the lake afterward had been opportune. This felt almost too forward, but when she chanced a look at Castle his eyes were dark with lust. He reached a hand around her waist, and she felt herself relax into his touch.

"Hmm," he managed, his eyes shining as he took the blanket. "I think I like vacation Beckett!"

"What, Castle- you didn't think I could be fun?" It was a loaded question, and one that probably wasn't fair to him, but the words had spilled from her lips before she could stop them.

Castle shook his head, his expression wary. "I knew you could be fun, Beckett," he assured her, entirely serious. "You were right about something, though."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

He smiled, his features softening, and for a second Kate thought she saw something in his eyes - a fierceness that she wasn't sure she was ready to see, yet - but it was gone before she could analyze it as he answered, the familiar joking smile on his face. "I had no idea."

* * *

"Kate?" he asked, and she turned her head to him with half closed eyes, sleepy and satisfied as Castle traced patterns on her stomach, skimming her soft curves.

"Mmm?" she asked, biting her lip as she looked at the man lying beside her.

"I never thought I'd say this to you, but I think we need to get out of bed and clean up so we can eat dinner before the sun gets much lower."

She chuckled. "Technically we're not in a bed," she pointed out.

"Touche," he agreed. "But if we're going to make dinner before it's dark we need to get ready now."

She nodded, wriggling closer to him. "Mmm. And once the sun gets a little lower, we'll be cold here… we need to get dressed."

Castle smirked. "Now that's a sentence I _definitely_ never wanted you to say." He frowned though, running his fingertip over the skin on her wrist; goosebumps were appearing on her arm. "You're already cold."

"But cozy," she protested. He shook his head and sat up anyway, bringing her with him.

"Pants," he offered, holding her shorts up, and it was Beckett's turn to laugh.

"Thanks," she said, taking them and shimmying into her panties before pulling the shorts on. Castle was looking at her with wonder, and she averted her eyes, asking, "What?"

"You're beautiful," he told her, and she felt her cheeks warm, shaking her head as she reached for the shirt lying on the grass beside them. Foregoing her bra, mostly because she couldn't immediately see it, she stood up, taking Castle's hand and tugging him up too.

"Come on," she said, changing the subject. "Get dressed and I'll find some more wood so we can make another fire."

"Don't get eaten by a bear," he called after her as she walked toward the tree line, and she shot him a disparaging look, hiding her grin.

Wow. Just… wow. What a difference a couple of days had made. Yet as she considered the events leading up to this, Kate was suddenly overwhelmed by it all. From the burning anger she'd felt toward Castle since he'd left the precinct, to the confusion of inviting him along on this trip, to… this. Whatever _this_ was.

That thought had Kate stopping in her tracks before she'd found any kindling. What, exactly, was _this_? This morning she'd promised Castle that it wasn't just a one time, getting back to nature thing; something she meant wholeheartedly. But if it wasn't a one-off occurrence, did that mean it was a _relationship_?

Kate shook her head, reaching down to select some of the smaller branches she could see on the ground. It wasn't so much the idea of a _relationship_ that was a problem, she realized; although the idea of being in one with _Rick Castle, professional flirt_ wasn't necessarily something that sat well with her when she considered what the press might say. Instead, the main problem was just how a romantic connection might hamper their professional lives at the precinct. After all, regulations were clear. Partners whose romantic lives became entangled were not permitted to continue working together.

At that thought she paused again, leaning against a nearby tree as she contemplated the situation. A year ago she would have laughed in the face of anyone who had suggested she needed Rick in her precinct, or in her life. Hell, she would have laughed at the idea yesterday, too. But all at once everything was different, and she sank down, dropping the firewood onto the ground as she buried her face in her hands in an attempt to calm herself. She needed Castle in her life, and that meant her working life too.

"Beckett?" she heard him call uncertainly, and she stood, wiping at her eyes, surprised to find her cheeks damp. "Kate?" he called again, and she bit the inside of her cheek before answering.

"I'm here," she answered, trying to keep her voice steady.

"You okay?" he asked, concern written all over his face as he came into sight, and she nodded.

"Yeah. Just…" she shrugged, gesturing to the wood on the ground. "Just got a little overwhelmed," she admitted, and he frowned.

"Overwhelmed? Collecting firewood?"

Kate flinched at the caution in his voice. "Yeah. I mean- this is all…" she screwed up her face, willing him to understand. When they were working a case they had no problem building theory together, but now, in the tentative stage of something so new, she had no idea how to explain herself to him.

"This is all…?" he prompted, and she shook her head.

"What are we going to do when we get back to New York?" she asked and he took a step back as if she had slapped him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice unnaturally even and she shrugged.

"Partners in a relationship aren't allowed to work together," she managed at last. "And I… I kinda got used to having you around, you know?"

Castle relaxed, his large frame easing into hers as he stepped toward her, apparently understanding at last. "Kate… we'll work it out," he said. "I don't know how, exactly, but if the rules mean we have to keep this to ourselves a little longer, I'm okay with that."

* * *

"The stars out here are so beautiful," Castle said, pulling Kate closer, and she grinned, snuggling into him and looking up at the darkening sky.

"You said that last night," she pointed out, and he chuckled, ducking his head to kiss her hair.

"Last night I lied," he told her with a wiggle of his eyebrows. "Last night the only thing I was really looking at was you."

"Really?" Kate narrowed her eyes. "Because you were doing a pretty good impression of concentrating really hard on those shadow animals."

Castle laughed, and stretched, disentangling their limbs as he stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I want to zip our sleeping bags up together."

She shook her head. "And that can't wait _any_ longer?"

"What?" he protested. "It's going to be really dark soon. I need to do it now, because I have no intention of putting that headlamp on tonight!"

She watched him stroll up to their tent, a smile on her face as he knelt down to clamber inside and wrestle with the sleeping bags. After her minor panic attack in the forest she'd been left feeling something she hadn't felt for years; safe.

And maybe he felt safe too. Now that she thought about it she realized it spoke volumes that she'd been the first person Castle had contacted once he'd returned from the Hamptons. And not that she had really thought he was only interested in a fling, but his reassurance as they'd walked back down to build the night's campfire had settled her in a way she didn't think possible.

"We'll keep it quiet," he'd promised her as a sigh had escaped. "To be honest, Kate, it's probably better if only a few people know for now. The press will have a field day, and I'd rather keep you off page six for as long as possible."

"You don't think it will be possible forever?" she'd asked, wincing, and he'd looked at her, his expression soft.

"I don't think it will be possible forever, no," he'd said at last, and she'd inhaled sharply at the way his voiced had hitched on the word _forever_. "But for now, yeah."

"And Alexis? Martha?"

He'd beamed at the mention of them, and Kate was reminded again just how much of a family man Castle was. Images of the first time she'd visited his loft had flooded her memory; she'd been so impressed by both his affection for his mother and daughter, as well as what she'd called his _Batcave_. "I'm looking forward to telling _them_," he'd assured her. "And your dad? Is Jim going to be okay with this?"

Kate had chuckled, relaxing into him. "My dad will be more than okay with this," she'd assured him, and she'd watched in amusement as a sudden panic had flared in his eyes.

"And what about Lanie? And the boys?"

She'd stopped at the fireplace, dumping the wood on the ground, and turned to him with a grin. "I guess we'll see just how well honed their detective skills really are, won't we?"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Once again, gratitude to Kylie for the beta. And to you guys, for reading. Your response to this story makes me so, so happy! Two more chapters after this one. x**

* * *

"Are we really going back?" Castle asked, and Kate turned from where she was kneeling; her efforts to pack up the tent interrupted for what seemed like the hundredth time this morning.

"Unless you want to learn to fish, yeah. Except for a few snacks, we're out of food."

At the mention of snacks, Castle visibly brightened, grinning as he sat down on the ground beside her, stuffing his sleeping bag into his pack with renewed speed. "There were still cookies left at the cabin, right?"

"Of the dozens you made? Yes."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's get back there!"

"Uh-huh." She folded the tent once more, sliding it into its bag, and handing it over to Castle. "Can you carry this?"

He nodded, gazing happily at it for a moment before strapping it to the outside of his backpack. "I really like this tent," he proclaimed, and she chuckled.

"Oh yeah? Or do you just like what we did in the tent this morning?"

"Well, that too," he agreed, releasing his hold on it before he could finish fastening it to his bag, and leaning over to press a gentle kiss to Kate's mouth.

She dropped the sleeping mat she was rolling up almost unconsciously, letting her fingers entwine with his and returning the kiss, gently at first, but his lips had fused with hers, and she opened her mouth, allowing him entry, gasping as their chaste caress became heated. She protested though, as he started to lie her down on the ground, pushing him away before his hands could find their way beneath her shirt.

"I've already packed the blanket," she reminded him, half tempted regardless; if he pushed the point she knew she'd give in. Just a day, and she'd already become addicted to his touch.

"Don't need it," he grumbled, but he tore himself away from her, his eyes still dark with lust as he watched her wrestle with the mat. He looked away at last, attaching the tent securely before pulling his own pack onto his back and looking around to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything.

Kate grinned, standing and hefting her own bag onto her back. "Come on. Let's go."

He beamed excitedly, taking her hand. "Back to the cookies!"

"And the real shower," she reminded him.

He nodded, a dangerous smile on his face. "And the real bed."

* * *

"Thank you for planning all of this," Castle said, when the cabin came into view.

Kate bumped her hip into his with a chuckle. "I didn't plan _everything_, you know?"

Castle laughed. "Are you sure? Because I was under the impression you brought me out to the woods to seduce me."

"Yes, that's right," Kate teased sarcastically. "That was my plan from the beginning. Bring you out here to _seduce_ you."

Castle smirked, reaching out for her hand and linking their fingers as they made their way up the path to the front door. "Well, for what it's worth, this was your best plan ever."

"Uh-huh." She shook her head, dumping her pack down on the ground once they were under the eaves. She fumbled around in the side pocket of her bag until she'd successfully found the keys and twisted them in the lock, forcing the door open and smiling at the sight of the familiar room.

"Home, sweet home," Castle commented, stepping over the threshold after her and casting a curious look at Kate's closed bedroom door.

"What?" she asked, following his gaze.

"Just wondered when I get the tour of Kate Beckett's girlhood room," he teased.

"Never," she said, but her actions betrayed her as she took a step toward him, closing the gap between them. "I have no intention of showing you anything."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, sliding a finger beneath the strap of her tank top and letting it slip down her arm, revealing her bra strap. He pushed that down too, his hand squeezing her shoulder for a second before replacing his hand with his mouth, his lips beginning their indecent descent to the delicate skin of her chest. "I think you've already shown me quite a lot, Kate Beckett," he murmured, and she smiled, arching her head back to allow him to nip at the base of her neck.

She let him walk her backwards until she was pressed up against the bedroom door and dropping her hand from where it had found purchase on his shirt, she reached around for the door handle, stumbling a little as the door swung open. A heady mix of adrenaline and arousal pumped through her system as she stepped into her bedroom, bringing Castle with her.

She took his hand, letting him walk her to the bed, and pull her down with him. He smiled down at her as he lay her on the covers, his hand pushing the loose strands of hair from her eyes and coming to rest lightly on her jaw.

She stared back at him, his blue eyes overwhelming, before darting her gaze to his mouth; _God_, she needed that mouth on her again, and she leaned in to kiss him, gasping when his fingers skimmed her waist and inhaling deeply as he broke the kiss to tug her shirt over her head.

He unhooked her bra slowly and deliberately and she blushed when she looked at it in his hands; no, she certainly hadn't planned this no matter what he said. In her ideal world, the first time Castle saw her underwear it would have been a sexy lace bra and matching thong, not the utilitarian bra she'd packed for a camping trip.

"You okay?" he asked and she shook her head, clearing the thought; no matter her underwear, their first time had been nothing if not memorable. Not to mention _fantastic_, and at that memory, she grinned.

"I was just thinking… our first time was in a _tree house_."

He chuckled. "I'm aware," he reminded her, his eyes darkening, and she shifted, letting him slide his leg between hers, welcoming the much needed pressure. Yeah. She smiled. He was aware alright, and she closed her eyes almost automatically as he shifted, his mouth hot on her breast and his tongue finding her nipple.

* * *

Kate swept her hand across Castle's chest, and he stirred, rolling and throwing an arm around her, but he didn't open his eyes. That settled that, then; apparently she wasn't going anywhere. A shower would have to wait. She reached for the book on the nightstand, nestling into Castle's embrace and flipping through the paperback to where her bookmark held her place.

"One of mine?" Castle asked, the sound of pages turning apparently rousing him, though his eyes remained closed.

"Yes. I'm re-reading page one hundred and five for comparative purposes," she told him, deadpan, grinning as his eyes flew open and he grabbed the book from her hands.

"Aw, it's just _The girl with the dragon tattoo_," he complained, and she wrenched it from his grasp.

"You're too easy," she laughed, swiping at him and reopening it.

"Is this how you usually read?" he asked. "You know, for future reference? So I can picture it later, if I need to?"

"What, in bed with my boyfriend?" she asked, freezing as the word spilled from her lips. Damn. It was one thing to accept that this _thing_ between them was _something_, but to name him her _boyfriend_- she clenched her teeth, wishing she could undo it and snatch the word back.

Castle paused a beat too, before recovering. "Uh- no. I mean, do you usually read naked."

Kate smirked. "Mostly, Castle? I read in the bath." She watched with satisfaction as his jaw dropped, before returning her eyes to the page; smiling at the heat in his gaze as he stared at her.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: We've got an epilogue coming up after this one, and that's it. Thank you all for caring about this story. Thank you Kylie for helping me pull this chapter together. x**

* * *

Kate snatched a towel from the rail when she heard her phone buzz in the other room, and wrapping it around herself she bolted toward her cell; she'd been playing phone tag with her dad since they'd gotten back from the hike yesterday, and she really didn't want to miss another one of his calls.

"Damn," she said, squinting at the missed call; not her dad, but Lanie. She bit down on her lip. Last her friend had heard she was getting out of town to clear her head for a bit. Well, she surmised, that was exactly what had happened. It had simply happened differently to how she'd expected.

"Everything okay?" Castle asked from the doorway of the bathroom and she turned to see him stepping into his boxers, fresh from the shower. She smiled at the sight, wondering if she would ever get over the novelty of seeing him shirtless. Or would she be at a crime scene, unable to keep her hands off him? Crime scene. Her smile faded at the reminder of the missed call from Lanie. Crap. She was going to have to keep an even voice as she spoke to her friend while she kept the latest developments to herself.

"Yeah," she told him. "Just gonna call Lanie back."

He nodded. "Good idea. I should probably check in with Alexis, too."

"Mmm-hmm." Kate mumbled her acquiescence, wrinkling her nose and dialing Lanie; cell reception here was awful, but she knew from experience that anywhere from the sofa to the front door was reasonably reliable even if everywhere else was useless.

"Beckett!" her friend exclaimed, and Kate smiled in spite of herself.

"Hey, Lanie," she replied. "How are you?"

"Busy," Lanie said. "Bodies, bodies everywhere, and not a detective to be seen."

Kate snorted. Did Lanie want her to feel guilty for taking her vacation days? Because she certainly wasn't going to. "Where are the boys?"

"At another crime scene. I'm not kidding, Beckett, this heat wave is bringing out the _crazies_."

"Heat waves do that," Kate smirked, thinking of the book with the same name.

Lanie gasped though, and Kate could practically hear her friend thinking as she tried to backtrack. "Sorry, Kate. I wasn't thinking. I know- you went upstate to get away from it all. The last thing you need is me sticking my foot in it, by bringing up Castle."

"Uh- yeah. No, it's fine, Lanie," Kate assured her, throwing a glance at Castle who was sorting through the pile of his things that were still on the sofa, presumably looking for his phone so that he could call Alexis.

"No, it's not- that man should never have come into the precinct like that, parading his ex-wife around. Next time I see him I'm gonna smack him. That is, if he even dares show his face at a crime scene again. And what does he think he's playing at, anyway?" she demanded, drawing a breath before continuing. "It's not like it's gonna work out-"

"Lanie!"

"Sorry, girl. I got carried away."

"What are you doing anyway, calling me when you're at work?" Kate asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Can't a girl call to look out for her friend?" Lanie asked. "I was worried about you, figured I'd check in."

"Uh-huh. " Kate laughed. "Are you sure you don't mean 'check in so you can report back to Esposito and Ryan next time you see them'?"

"I was concerned about you," Lanie protested. "They are too."

"Well, you don't have to worry. I'm fine. Happy, even," she said, looking across the room to where Castle had perched himself on a chair next to the counter, apparently having found both his phone and the box of cookies.

"Want one?" he asked, holding the container out to her, and she shook her head.

"Who was that?" Lanie asked, her keen ears having heard his voice and Kate thought quickly.

"Radio," she lied.

"Uh-huh. Is your dad still up at the cabin with you or are you all alone?"

"Uh- dad left a couple of days ago," she said, avoiding specifics.

"Because I could come up on the weekend, if you want, sweetie," Lanie offered and Kate's eyes widened.

"No. No, Lanie. I couldn't- I'm fine. Really."

"Well, if you're sure… when are you back at work, anyway?"

"Tuesday," Kate said, glad to be back in safe territory. The last thing she needed was Lanie to march on up here in some misguided attempt to comfort her. "We'll be back on Tuesday."

"_We_?"

_Shit_. "Um. Me. I'll be back on Tuesday," she backpedaled hastily, hoping it would be enough.

"You're not thinking of letting _Castle _worm his way back in, are you?" Lanie asked. "And isn't he away for the whole summer, anyway?"

"No- uh- I don't know, Lanie," she stammered. She looked across the room in desperation, hoping to find a solution. Instead, things were going from bad to worse. She watched as Castle picked his phone up from the counter, apparently done with the cookies, and dialed, holding it up to his ear.

"Hi, sweetie!" she heard him exclaim; no doubt he'd gotten ahold of Alexis, but thanks to the unfortunate timing she heard a gasp from Lanie at the same time.

"Someone's there with you," her friend accused, and Kate shrugged helplessly.

"Um…"

"Yeah, no," she heard from Castle, as he stepped away from the counter and toward her, his voice raised. "Can you hear me now? Beckett and I got back from hiking yesterday, but the reception in her dad's cabin is pretty sketchy."

"Kate!" Lanie breathed at her. "You have a _man_ there. Who is it?" she demanded. "Demming? Did you and-"

"No- it's not Tom," she managed.

"Alexis? Are you still there?" Castle asked again at the top of his voice, and Kate cringed as she waited for Lanie to work it out. Three. Two. One…

"Katherine Beckett! Nuh-uh- don't even tell me-"

Kate hit the mute button on the phone. "Castle-" she hissed under her breath, gesturing at her phone. "_Lanie_ is on the phone!" she whispered from between clenched teeth. "She cannot know that you are here- you have to call Alexis back!"

Castle looked at her, his eyes widening. "I didn't think," he whispered back to her, and then to Alexis, panic in his voice, "I'll call you back."

"Lanie," Kate said, un-muting herself. "I can explain. I-"

"Honey, you're going to need to explain _exactly_ why you're upstate getting your freak on with writer-boy, but- _crap_. Kate, I have to go, there's another body drop midtown."

"Lanie," Kate wailed. "Do _not_ say a word to anybody."

"I gotta go, Beckett," Lanie told her and Kate squeezed her eyes shut, already picturing Lanie spilling the beans to Esposito and Ryan at the scene.

"Okay, but Lanie-" Kate scowled at her phone. Her friend had already hung up.

* * *

"It's not so bad is it?" Castle asked when they had finished dinner, and Kate shrugged.

"Um. I don't know. I mean, I guess I would have told Lanie before I told the boys, but…" she trailed off unhappily. "I wanted to tell her in person. And… not right away."

"Well, look at it this way- this way she won't be mean to me when I come back."

"Why would Lanie be mean to you?" Kate asked with a frown.

"Remember last year? You and I had- well-" he hesitated, and Kate nodded.

"Yeah. I remember what happened," she said softly. Water under the bridge now, she guessed; she would never be entirely okay while her mom's murder remained unsolved, but the situation with Dick Coonan at the precinct in January had given her clarity. She meant what she'd said; she wanted Castle by her side when she solved it.

"Well… Lanie froze me out," Castle said, holding up his hand before she could deny it. "At the beginning. Figures she'd do the same thing this time. This way, she knows there's nothing to be mad at me about." He grinned, opening a cupboard to find the wine glasses. He stepped around the kitchen island, taking them out to the table on the patio. "Maybe this time she can be mad at you, for keeping secrets!" he called over his shoulder.

Kate wrinkled her nose at him, taking a bottle of wine from the counter before following him outside.

"I think she is mad at me," she grumbled. "But she hasn't returned my calls since she hung up, so I don't know."

Castle shrugged at her, uncorking the bottle of red, and pouring two generous glasses, and Kate accepted hers with a rueful smile. "Don't worry about it," he urged. "We've got another couple of days out here- what else do you want to do before we go back to the city?"

Kate smiled, clinking her glass with his and meeting his eyes as she did so. "Read some more?" she teased, and Castle grinned.

"We could do that. Oh- and you do have _Heat Wave_ here, right? Because we really can enact-"

Kate swiped at him before he could finish telling her just what inspiration page one hundred and five could provide, and he caught her fingers, holding her hand in his.

She sipped her wine, relishing it as she swirled it in her mouth. She could feel a light buzz already, and she wriggled her shoulders experimentally; she couldn't remember the last time she'd been so relaxed. She set the glass back on the table, staring up at the stars that were starting to come out. She didn't think she could ever tire of seeing the sky lit up like this. She glanced back down and smiled at Castle, surprised to see his eyes fixed on her. "I think we'll find something to fill the time."

He smiled, the mirth in his eyes fading as he gazed at her seriously, a flash of an unfamiliar intensity in his expression. Kate glanced down at their entwined fingers in wonder; she was used to him looking at her with lust; even before their camping trip she'd caught him staring many times over. But this was something different to mere lust, something more akin to- well. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, raising her wine to her lips again, unwilling to even think the word just yet.

She glanced back at him though, seeing only warmth, and it was all at once not so scary; their camping trip had been an unexpected bright spot in what she'd expected to be a long, boring summer. She'd figured the next three months would have been spent with Lanie, dancing and drinking, and lamenting her romantic misfortune. Instead, it was turning into something amazing; the remaining few days at the cabin stretched ahead of them, and she saw them swimming, laughing, making love. She bit her lip. She could make peace with this change of plans. And after the cabin, the city beckoned; a fresh start back the precinct, Castle by her side once again.

She placed the glass of wine slowly and deliberately back onto the table before standing, still holding Castle's hand. "Come on, Castle," she murmured, tugging him up and pulling him to her, pressing her mouth to his jaw and shivering at the feel of the rough stubble against her lips. "Take me to bed."


	11. Chapter 11

**Six Months Later - December 2010**

"I have to work," Kate said quietly, letting her fingers brush over Castle's as he handed her a coffee, and smiling at the latte art in the foam; a Christmas tree.

"Uh-huh." He smiled at her weakly.

"You okay?"

He hesitated for a moment, sipping his own coffee before leaning back against the counter and staring at her. She frowned. He'd been quiet all day and when the boys had suggested drinks at The Old Haunt after work he'd displayed none of his usual enthusiasm. "I spoke to Montgomery," he said at last.

"And?"

"And you lied to me. Don't pretend. If you aren't ready, why not just tell me?"

Oh. Understanding dawned, and Kate stared into her coffee cup, wondering how she could explain this to him. Just because they were together didn't mean that she could put years of hurt aside. "Christmas means something different to me than it does to you," she tried.

"It's Christmas. I mean, how can it be different?"

She sighed. "Castle, every winter, as soon as that chill rolls in, I'm right back there in that alley. January ninth and we still hadn't taken our Christmas decorations down. And by the time my dad and I did, it was like we were putting Christmas away forever." Castle nodded at her, and she continued. "We haven't opened those boxes since."

"I didn't know," he said quietly.

"That's why every year my dad goes up to his cabin and ever since I became a rookie I have taken the Christmas shift. Because I know that there are families out there that are celebrating together in their homes and I am keeping watch. And that is my tradition. And that is important to me. It's as important as your tradition is to you. And I'm sorry, Castle. I thought I could let that go, but I-"

"I understand," he said, and Kate smiled, meeting his eyes at last.

"I can't come to your Christmas dinner, Castle. I thought I could, but I can't- maybe next year."

The last part was out of her mouth before she could stop the words escaping, and she smiled wryly; this was how their whole relationship had started. Making promises and offers that she hadn't thought through. Well, she considered. The impulsive invitation that she'd made to Castle last summer had been the best thing she'd done all year; the days at the lake were etched into her memory as the happiest she'd spent in a long time, and she grinned, remembering another invitation she'd made.

"Do you remember when we were at the cabin? I told you how beautiful the lake was in the snow. You said you'd like to see it."

He nodded, curiosity in his eyes. "Yeah."

"After Christmas, after my shift, and after your family thing- do you want to come up to the cabin with me, for a few days? See it in the snow? Alexis could come up too, if you want?"

"I'd like that," Castle nodded, moving forward and brushing a gentle hand across her face, cupping her chin for a beat, before taking a step back, the picture of respectability in the precinct. Just because the boys had worked out that they were in a relationship about a month after their return to work last summer was no reason for every single cop on the homicide floor to know.

"Okay." Kate stood, picking up her coffee cup again. "We'll drive up together the day after Christmas. But right now we've got a murder to solve."

"Sounds great," Castle agreed softly, before his expression revealed a hint of worry. "Are you going to police how many books I bring this time too?"

* * *

This wasn't so bad at all, Kate reflected. New traditions were a good thing, and much as she wished she'd been able to share Christmas with Castle and his family, it was good that he was here now. Baby steps, she reminded herself. Maybe by next year she'd be able to celebrate properly. She smiled to herself as she realized; she really was envisioning a _next year_ with Castle.

Well, she figured, glancing at the man beside her and smiling, the last six months had been great. And now, cooking dinner in the cabin with her boyfriend, his daughter, and her dad, she felt a contentment settle over her, an inner calm that she hadn't felt for a long time.

"You wanna get the tomatoes from the cupboard?" her dad asked, looking up from where he was chopping onions in the kitchen.

Kate nodded, finding them and placing the can on the counter, something occurring to her that she'd been meaning to ask her father for a while now. "Dad?"

"Uh-huh?" Jim asked, and Kate turned the faucet on, handing Castle a glass of water before filling her own.

"Last summer when Castle and I were here we went out to the tree house," she started. From beside Jim, Castle cast her an anxious look, and she shot him a grin. "I thought it looked like it was in pretty good shape- I just wondered if you had been fixing it up."

"You have a tree house?" Alexis asked from across the room, where she was curled up on the sofa reading. "Cool."

Jim nodded, apparently surprised. "You went out there?"

Kate nodded, smiling at the memory. Too bad she and Castle couldn't go back there this trip. Well, she figured, they probably could, if they drove, but it was far too cold to do what they'd done last time they were there. "Yeah. We hiked over."

"The summer before last I went out there a bit, fixed it up a little," Jim told her. "Figured I should, even if you're too old to be getting any enjoyment out of it."

Kate swallowed. No. No, she and Castle had managed to get a whole lot of enjoyment from the tree house. Castle coughed, choking on his water, and Kate shot him a warning look.

"The neighbors have a couple of grandkids now," Jim continued, and a teasing expression played on his face. "Who knows? Maybe I'll have my own grandkids before too long."

"Dad!" she hissed, sneaking a peek at Alexis first; the girl looked like she was on the verge of laughter, and she looked at Castle, horrified. Her boyfriend, though, was smiling, a dreamy expression on his face. "Castle!"

He grinned at her, taking a step back and holding up his hands in a motion of self-defense. "He started it," Castle pointed out, indicating Jim with a nod of his head, and Kate groaned.

Jim tossed the onions into the pan and handed her the spatula, before shrugging and heading into the living room to stoke the fire. "Come on, Katie," he teased, and Kate shook her head indignantly.

"Don't Katie me," she warned her father, and Castle laughed, leaning back and nudging into her.

"Yeah, Katie, come on," he mocked and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"If _you _'Katie' me, I'll shoot you," she threatened.

"You didn't bring your gun," he pointed out, and she quirked her lips at him.

"Fine. Play it your way. But see if you like sleeping in the twin bed in Alexis' room," she threatened, and Castle shook his head frantically, glancing over to make sure Jim and Alexis weren't listening to them.

He chuckled, his voice low in her ear. "You know I prefer the tent over that bed," he whispered. "Although only when we zip our sleeping bags together."

* * *

**A/N: Oh my gosh, thank you guys! I've absolutely had a blast writing this, and I've never had this kind of feedback on a fic before, so I'm super happy. Every review, follow, favorite and read has made my day! And K has been a huge help in beta-ing, thank you!**

**I have another story on its way: the story I wrote for NaNoWriMo has been edited, and the first chapter will be out tomorrow. It's called Two Coffees, and while it's not all fluff like this one, I hope you'll read it and like it! **


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